


Sealed With A Kiss

by Sandyclaws68



Series: Making Moments Count [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Chuunin Exams, Developing Relationship, M/M, Mild Language, Suddenly aware of long standing attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-18 01:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3550394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandyclaws68/pseuds/Sandyclaws68
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clashing over the chuunin exam winds up putting Kakashi and Iruka on the same side, seeking a common goal.  It also forces them to each acknowledge his long standing attraction to the other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prickliness

_It's none of your business anyway. They're not your students anymore, they're soldiers under my command._

Iruka felt a pain growing in his jaw as his teeth ground together. He had all but stormed out of the meeting, not even waiting for Sandaime-sama's final words of dismissal to the group. He was usually slow to anger, but something about that exchange had pressed on every single hot button he had.

 _Of all the obnoxious, arrogant, disrespectful, stubborn, willful_ . . . His metal litany paused when he ran out of unflattering adjectives. His long, angry strides continued to carry him through the village, however. Really, it was almost too much to take, being treated in such a cavalier fashion, as if his opinion were of absolutely no worth.

He came to an abrupt halt as realization struck him. Maybe his opinions _were_ of no value in this situation. After all it had been months since the students in question had graduated, released from his supervision and turned over to that of jounin mentors. He was hardly in a position to pass judgment on how their skills and abilities had advanced during that time.

But even so the bastard didn't have to so rude about it. He shook his head and felt a smile making one corner of his mouth twitch. And that forced him to recognize that his anger had faded. The indignation hadn't, though. That was still a slow burn in his gut, but it was a damped fire compared to the blaze of before.

With the red haze of his anger gone he took in his surroundings, surprised to find himself near the edge of the village, on the pathway that led to the main gate. He walked over to one of the stone benches that lined the walkway and sank onto it, his shoulders slumping slightly. _God, I'm such an idiot sometimes_ , he berated himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. The problem wasn't in what he had said, he knew. It was more how he said it. And when. The when was probably the worst part.

“Is there room on that bench for two?”

Iruka straightened up so quickly it was a wonder his spine didn't snap. His eyes jumped to the masked face of the man standing before him as he slid closer to one end of the bench and gestured for him to take a seat.

Kakashi sat, barely suppressing a sigh. He was not looking forward to the conversation that he was about to have, although he recognized the necessity. There had long been this – prickliness, for lack of a better word – between himself and Iruka, and it tended to flare up at the most unexpected times. _Never mind unexpected_ , he said to himself with a rueful mental grin. _It flared up at the absolute worst times._ Like today. He hadn't needed Sandaime-sama's _Fix this!_ glare to send him out after the younger man, though.

“I'm not apologizing,” Iruka finally said, breaking the tense silence that had grown between them.

It was only when Kakashi had to turn his head to look at the other man that he noticed how neatly Iruka had manipulated himself into being in the jounin's blind spot. First point to the chuunin, then. “I'm not asking you to,” he said in his usual bland tone. “And for the record neither am I.”

Iruka almost laughed. “Why would you need to? You put me in my place quite effectively.”

“That wasn't putting you in your place,” Kakashi replied, feeling a flush making the tips of his ears burn.

“What was it, then?”

“Mostly it was me over-reacting to what was, in hindsight, a perfectly legitimate criticism.” He held up a hand when Iruka turned a shocked face in his direction. “My response was perfectly legitimate also. At least as far as what I meant to say.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked uncomfortable. “It didn't come out as planned, though.”

Iruka snorted. “When does anything between you and I ever come out as planned?”

And there it was. Prickliness.

Kakashi knew how his own actions contributed to it. He had a personality that couldn't help but push people's buttons; questioning, probing, and twisting in an effort to elicit genuine reactions instead of the polite fictions most people presented to the world. And he was usually content once he got that first outburst. But with Iruka it was different. With him he felt a need – actually it was more like a compulsion – to verbally poke and prod every time they met.

Which did go some way toward explaining what had happened earlier.

The burning on his ears intensified as he felt the younger man's gaze steady on him. “Look, Iruka-sensei,” he began, tugging on one earlobe. “It's not that I have any issue with you. I'm just -”

“An ass.”

“Pardon?”

Iruka laughed and sighed at the same time. “You. Are. An. Ass.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Kakashi laughed. Loudly. Iruka looked distinctly puzzled by the reaction at first, but then he smiled. A full, brilliant, and especially genuine smile. And when his stomach clenched at the sight Kakashi realized why he always went out of his way to provoke Iruka.

_No. Nononononononononono. Shit._

“Ummm, Kakashi-san?”

He shook his head and yanked his mind back to where he was. Iruka was looking at him, a questioning expression on his face. He smiled, hoping it didn't look as sickly as it felt. “Sorry, sorry! I just got a little lost there for a minute.”

“Lost on the path of life?” Iruka asked with a grin.

Kakashi grunted. “I see Naruto's been giving away my secrets,” he muttered, then instantly felt ashamed when Iruka's face fell at mention of that name. _He really is worried_ , Kakashi thought to himself, marveling. _None of this was an act or an attempt to discredit anyone. Of all the students he's ever taught Naruto is the one he just can't fully let go of._ He tugged his mask down slightly and rubbed the tip of his nose. “You know, if it really bothers you that much there is something you can do about it.”

Iruka huffed out a breath, making the strands of hair framing his face flutter. “I already tried to do something, remember? That's why we're having this conversation.”

Kakashi felt himself grin. “No, I mean something practical. You heard Sandaime-sama's instructions with regard to the second stage of the exam, didn't you?” When Iruka nodded he went on. “You could volunteer to be one of the chuunin that greets the participants when they arrive at the tower and open both scrolls.”

“How is that going to make me feel better about this situation?” Iruka asked, sounding disgruntled. “Greeting some random team isn't likely to make me worry less.”

“True. But if I'm the one who does the sealing I can guarantee that you'll be welcoming Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, and not some random group.”

Iruka glanced sidelong at Kakashi, his face noticeably brighter but with a wariness lurking in his eyes. “You'd do that for me?” he asked, managing to sound skeptical and hopeful at the same time.

“I'd do that for you, yes.” There was just the slightest emphasis on _you_.  But the response brought that smile back to the younger man's face, causing Kakashi to wince inwardly and give himself a swift mental kick. _No. You are most definitely NOT going there._ “You don't have to decide right away,” he went on. “It's not just your sub-conscious mind and a portion of your chakra that would be sealed, after all. This particular jutsu requires you to be physically sealed away.”

“I know that,” Iruka said with a firm nod.

“So think about it.” Kakashi found himself smiling. “No hasty decisions, all right? You can let me know one way or another tomorrow.”

“Fair enough.” Iruka sprang up from the bench, definitely happier and with something of a spring back in his step. He bowed his head briefly before taking hold of the other man's hand between both of his and squeezing it in thanks. Then he was gone.

And Kakashi still sat on the bench, his brain in a whirl, his stomach twisted in a knot, and his ears burning from something more than embarrassment.

**************

That night Kakashi lay on his bed, watching the moonlight work its way across his ceiling. It was unusual for him to be so disturbed by sleeplessness, since he had learned very early in his career to snatch rest whenever an opportunity presented itself. But now he couldn't get his mind off of the mussed dark hair, gleaming brown eyes, and exuberant smile of one Umino Iruka.

He was often accused, by friends and colleagues alike, of being obsessively private, but in his own mind he had plenty of reasons to be. It had started at a young age, almost immediately after his father's suicide, as a way of keeping so-called unproductive feelings tamped down. Then it had turned into almost the only way for him to escape the constant pressure of expectation placed on the “Hatake prodigy”. And lastly, when he had struggled against his wildly fluctuating feelings for Itachi (ironically another “prodigy”) when the young Uchiha clan member had been assigned to his ANBU team it had become a cover for his newly discovered bi-sexuality.

Not that he was ashamed of who he was, not by any stretch of the imagination. But he was practical enough to realize that powerful, old-fashioned ideas were the order of the day within the Konoha leadership, and keeping a tight grip on something that might otherwise become an issue was the only way for him to continue living the only life he had ever known. And for years (especially after Itachi's defection from the village) that potential “issue” hadn't raised it's head, as he'd found the pursuit of women more absorbing.

Until today and his sudden, gut-twisting realization that his feelings for Iruka included a healthy dose of pulse-pounding attraction.

He groaned and rolled over onto his side, turning his back on the bedroom's sole window. _You should have realized this years ago_ , he berated himself. That one mission with Iruka as the unofficial second-in-command of his team had probably been the start of it. The prickliness. Although they had worked well together they had also gotten under each other's skin almost instantly. The bickering had started two days into the mission and been a constant undertone during the final days. The bickering that had proved to be enough of a distraction to end the mission with Iruka injured.

He could well remember how shaky his legs had been when he stood before the Hokage and explained the circumstances of the injury suffered by the team's senior chuunin. Those injuries hadn't been overly serious, thankfully, but they had been bad enough. Even the fact that the mission was ultimately successful hadn't improved matters. He had thoroughly blamed himself for what had happened, an emotionally agonizing process considering his history.

But in a strange twist of events Iruka had proved almost grateful for what had happened. It had, he claimed, clarified in his mind what he was truly meant to do. Then he had all but begged Sandaime-sama to allow him to take up an instructor's post at the academy so he could instill the Will of Fire into a new generation of shinobi.

And as soon as the Hokage left he had asked Kakashi to forgive him for messing up as badly as he had before damn near shocking the jounin out of his habitual calm.  “ _This wasn't your fault,” Iruka said, gesturing to the bandage that circled his forehead in place of his hitai-ate. “I have no one but myself to blame.” Then he smiled. “But I can't be angry about it, since I'm being given the chance to start a completely new adventure!”_

An adventure that had nearly derailed after barely a year, when the Hokage had assigned Iruka the duty of being the homeroom teacher, and primary instructor, of a certain knuckle-headed and hyperactive student with blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. It had seemed to be an almost cruel gesture at the time, all things considered, but as often happened Sandaime-sama's ulterior motive was the one that ended up being satisfied.

Not without a struggle, though. Kakashi found himself wondering if the bench he and Iruka had occupied earlier that day was the same one from all those years ago. Their conversation that day had been brief, yet full of the sort of undertones that make such moments memorable.

“ _Your eyes were so alive back then. Now they're dead.” Kakashi caught the startled look from the other man out of the corner of his eye. “And perhaps you've forgotten a basic rule of teaching: you cannot open the mind of another unless you possess an open mind yourself. Maybe you're deliberately trying to forget.”_

“ _The nine-tails sealed inside Naruto is responsible for the death of my parents!” his companion exclaimed, an expression of deep pain on his face. “And although I'm fully aware that Naruto himself is not to blame I can't help but remember every time I look at him.” Iruka drew a shaky breath. “How can I expect him to open up to me?”_

“ _You may be the only person who can reach Naruto's heart.” He stood then, glancing up at the orange-tinged twilight sky. “That is your personal ordeal. One that Sandaime-sama has given you.” He turned and laid a reassuring hand on the younger man's shoulder. “If you hang in there a little longer I know you'll find the way.”_

And he had, but not without a few more stumbles along the way. One in particular still had the power to make Kakashi's body break out in a cold sweat. That encounter with three Takigakure kunoichi still ranked as one of his life's more stressful moments, and not because the fight had been so difficult. It had been the driving need to protect comrades (even if one of them was a snot-nosed brat) that had left him shaken by the experience.

And now, with the benefits of 20/20 hindsight and a better understanding of his feelings he knew that it had specifically been a need to protect Iruka, because it had been learning that the sensei had chosen to chase after Naruto on his own that had caused Kakashi's heart to skip a beat before kicking into overdrive. He flopped over onto his back and bit back the moan that rose in his throat as he renewed his staring at the moonlit ceiling.

This was going to be one of the longest nights of his life.

**************

The next afternoon found Kakashi standing just inside the academy's gate, leaning against the enormous tree that had been a fixture of the place for as long as anyone could remember and gazing up at its leafy canopy. The shouts and laughs of ecstatic children could clearly be heard, each one jangling on his sleep-deprived nerves. It took an effort to remind himself that none of his bad mood had been caused by the aforementioned children, and also that if he did anything unseemly to any of them he'd likely be on the receiving end of whatever brutal and inventive punishment their smart-mouthed teacher could come up with.

That thought brought a sudden smile to his face.

“Hatake-san?”

He blinked rapidly and lowered his gaze, and lowered it again, until he finally connected with the eyes of the speaker. He pushed away from the tree with dispatch and stood straighter. It was on the tip of his tongue to greet the honored grandson of the Hokage when something Naruto had told him about how much the younger boy hated being addressed as such flickered through the back of his mind. “Konohamaru-kun,” he said with a small, yet respectful, bow of his head.

“Are you here to see Iruka-sensei?” the boy asked, his head tilted back far enough to more-or-less look the man in the eye.

“I am, yes,” Kakashi replied, fighting the urge to smile at the strange formality of the conversation. “Do you happen to know where he is?”

Konohamaru smiled, revealing a chipped tooth and a dimple in his left cheek. “He was still in the classroom, Hatake-san. Number 203.”

Kakashi bowed to express his thanks, and then walked off as the boy returned to whatever impromptu game he and his friends were indulging in before being called home. A smile crossed his face, and he was surprised at two things. One, he no longer felt quite as tired and two, the voices of all those children were nowhere near as annoying.

Once inside the building he breathed a sigh of relief at being enveloped in the cool, comforting, peace and quiet. Then his nose twitched, and he grinned. The place smelled no different than it had when he was a student; a combination of leather, sweat, wildflowers, and chalk. It was one constant in what had become his somewhat topsy-turvy world in the last day.

The floorboards creaked under his feet as he made his way down the corridor to classroom 203. That should have been more than sufficient warning for any shinobi, never mind the ever-present traces of a strong chakra signature. But when he finally paused in the open doorway of the room the sight that greeted him somehow managed to be amusing, puzzling, and arousing all at the same time.

Late afternoon sunlight was pouring through the windows, striking reddish highlights in the dark brown hair of the man who sat at the teacher's desk, head bent over a pile of papers to be graded, completely unaware that anyone had approached and was now closely observing him. A substantial lock of hair had either escaped from, or never been caught in, the sensei's habitual ponytail and Iruka was lazily wrapping the strands around one finger of his left hand as he worked. That alone was enough to rivet Kakashi's recently enlightened gaze on the other man, but there was more.

Every time his brow furrowed over a particularly poorly-written passage on one of the assignments he would tap his red pen against his lips before his tongue would make an appearance to soothe the spot the pen had just been in contact with. It happened once, then twice, then a third time. At that point Kakashi was starting to feel slightly dizzy and cursing himself for having been so totally oblivious for so long. But as much as he was enjoying his glimpse of an Iruka he felt certain no one knew he needed to get down to the business at hand, so he coughed slightly and rapped twice on the door jamb to announce his presence.

Iruka jumped, startled, but when he saw who was there his face relaxed into a smile. “Kakashi-san!” he exclaimed happily. “How long have you been there?”

“Not long,” Kakashi said, wincing at the lie. “I wanted to come by to see if you'd made your decision regarding what we discussed yesterday.”

“I have,” Iruka replied before capping the red pen and placing it in the ceramic mug on his desk. He stood up and tapped the papers into a neater stack before shoving them into the leather messenger bag he always carried on the job.

“And?”

Iruka grinned as he slipped the bag's strap over his head and adjusted it as it rested on his hip. “Did you honestly think my answer would be anything but yes?” he asked.

“Sensei. . .” Kakashi began.

The younger man held up a hand and brought the implied reproof to a halt. “I know what you're thinking, but I can assure you I _have_ thought about this carefully. I've weighed the pros and cons, but still come up with no other answer than yes.”

Kakashi snorted. “But you're not saying yes because of careful thought,” he said, watching a telltale blush creep up the teacher's cheeks.

“Hell no!” Iruka replied with a laugh. “My decision was based on pure emotion and instinct, the same as it would have been if you had accepted it yesterday.” He took a deep breath and looked more serious. “I'll never be able to stop worrying if I don't do this,” he concluded, that simple statement ending the discussion as far as he was concerned.

Kakashi recognized the futility of arguing further. “Very well,” he said with a sigh. “We'll need to set up a meeting so we can go over exactly what this will entail for you.”

“Tell you what,” Iruka said as they left the classroom and started down the corridor. “Why don't you come over to my place this evening? I'll cook dinner and you can enlighten me on all of the pertinent points I need to know.” He rubbed the scar on the bridge of his nose, looking suddenly self-conscious at the out-of-the-blue invitation. “That is if you don't have any other plans,” he concluded in something close to a mumble.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, unsure how to react. A part of his brain was objecting to such a personal touch on what should be a purely professional situation while another part was insisting that it wouldn't kill him to relax a little. Relaxation won out. “I'd like that,” he responded with a smile that curved his cheeks and narrowed his eyes above the mask.

And although Iruka didn't see it that smile broadened when Kakashi saw the blush staining the younger man's ears and the teeth tugging on his lower lip.


	2. The Shrinking Space Between

Just over two hours later Kakashi stood outside the door of Iruka's apartment, a bouquet of multicolored chrysanthemums held loosely in one hand. Some people may have regarded arriving at the home of another man with flowers to be awkward, but manners required a gift for one's host when accepting an invitation of this sort. And Kakashi – for all he was viewed as cold, arrogant, and aloof by a fair percentage of his fellow citizens – was innately well-mannered. Even running the gauntlet of Ino's questions while at Yamanaka Florist hadn't deterred him.

He halted with one finger poised over the doorbell when he heard music from inside. He listened carefully, then smiled when he recognized the piece. Mozart. Clarinet Concerto in A, if he wasn't mistaken. How very Iruka: light and cheerful, but controlled and precise. If given a choice he preferred Beethoven himself, with all of the underlying passion and turbulent emotions that went along with it. His smile broadened into a definite grin. Chalk up one more thing that would shock the living daylights out of most people in Konoha.

He pressed the doorbell and heard the chimes inside, then the music stopped and footsteps approached the door. Then Iruka's voice. “Stay put, you,” he distinctly said. The note of command in his voice almost had Kakashi freezing in place, posture stiff and attentive, before he realized that there was no way the younger man was speaking to him. And that just added another layer to his growing curiosity about a man he had known of for years, but didn't really know.

Then the door opened and most of the curiosity fled, replaced by what was fast becoming a familiar feeling of emotional dizziness.

He had his hair down. There was a brief moment in which the only thing that registered in Kakashi's brain was two words. Hair. . . Down. . . Then an excess of mental static took over.

“Kakashi-san?”

He gave his head a determined shake to clear it of the fog so that he could once again focus on Iruka, who was watching him with a worried frown creasing his forehead. “Are you all right?” the younger man asked, looking up into the one visible, dark eye.

Kakashi nodded. “Fine, he said, his voice catching. He coughed once to get past the lump in his throat. “Fine, “ he repeated. “A little surprised, though,” he went on, nodding in the direction of Iruka's head and the hair that hung in a straight curtain, framing his face.

Iruka's hand jumped to his hair and he flushed slightly. “Yeah, that,” he said, looking at the floor and rubbing the crown of his head where the ponytail usually sat. “After a particularly stressful day it sometimes feels like all the tension in my body gathers in this spot, so. . .” His voice trailed off and he shrugged, pulling a tie out of his pocket. He quickly gathered his hair together and tied it loosely at the nape of his neck. Then he looked up and grinned. “More like the usual me?” he asked.

Kakashi didn't respond, mainly because he didn't think he was capable of saying anything. If he opened his mouth the only thing that might come out was a cry bewailing the loss of what had been an enticing sight. Instead he stepped across the threshold and held out the flowers with a bow.

Iruka gracefully accepted the gift; as Kakashi had suspected there was nothing awkward in the gesture, simply good manners on both sides. Then Iruka slipped to one side and shut the door. “Let me just take care of these,” he said, holding up the bouquet as he moved further into the large single room, making his way to the kitchen area. “Make yourself at home,” he said just before his head disappeared into a cabinet in search of a vase.

Kakashi bent over to remove his sandals and almost jumped out of his skin when a lithe, furry body rubbed against one of his hands. He froze, staring into the glowing amber eyes of the largest house cat he had ever seen. At least now he knew who that _Stay put, you!_ command had been aimed at. He finished removing his sandals and sat comfortably on the floor, legs crossed, as the feline rubbed against his knees and ankles. He sank the fingers of one hand into the long, luxurious fur on the back of the animal's neck and scratched, smiling when he was rewarded with a throaty purr.

“So who might you be, huh?” he asked, his voice gentle.

A soft laugh made him look up to see Iruka standing nearby, a vase full of chrysanthemums in one hand. “Haineko, manners,” he chided the feline, who immediately sat, more or less at attention, with her tail curled around her paws, looking up at Kakashi with an intelligent expression on her whiskered face. “That's better,” Iruka said with a smile. “Kakashi-san, meet Haineko. Haineko, this is Kakashi-san. He's a colleague and a friend, so be on your best behavior.”

The cat mewed in response and returned to her previous activity of rubbing against Kakashi and twisting every which way to take best advantage of the stroking and scratching of those long, pale, and nimble fingers. And Iruka, watching those same fingers, nearly dropped the vase he was holding.

_No. Nononononononononono. Shit._

**************

“So with my chakra embedded in the final seal it will react to Sakura, Sasuke, or Naruto, and only to them. Does that make sense?”

Iruka bit back a sigh. The damned explanation had made perfect sense the first time he had heard it. And the second. And now the third. But all he said was “Yes, Kakashi-san,” despite the fact that he was starting to get all-mighty pissed off. He took a deep breath and felt his eyes drift closed.

“Something bothering you, sensei?”

At that familiar, condescending tone Iruka felt his control snap. This he could handle. Being angry at an obnoxious jounin was much, much easier than acknowledging that he found said jounin almost unbearably attractive. He slammed one hand down on the table. “Yes, as a matter of fact something is!” he all but shouted. “And if you had pulled your patronizing head out of your oblivious ass earlier I wouldn't be this pissed off!” He surged to his feet and stomped to the kitchen, banging his tea kettle against the tap as he filled it with water and then on the stove to heat. By the time he had finished getting out the tea pot and cups the water was well on it's way to boiling and his temper had started to cool off.

It was on the tip of his tongue to apologize when he turned back to the table, only to find his beloved feline sprawled there on her back in utter, blissful abandon as Kakashi stroked her belly. “Traitor,” he muttered, hoping that the flush he felt burning up his neck wasn't as visible as it felt. Seriously, when had he developed what appeared to be a hand fetish?

“I'm sorry.”

The words pushed through the expectant silence with all the delicacy of a battering ram. Iruka jerked his head up from where he had been staring at Haineko and met Kakashi's gaze. The other man coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You're right. I did have my patronizing head shoved up my oblivious ass. I treated you like a brainless incompetent, and for that I apologize.”

Iruka felt the last bits of his anger fade away as he leaned back, the edge of the counter top pressing against the small of his back. “Apology accepted,” he said. The tea kettle started to sing at the moment and he turned around to attend to it, abundantly aware of the sounds of movement behind him. He tensed as a chakra-charged presence drew close to his back, and jumped when a hand came down on top of his as he lifted the kettle.

“I'll take care of that,” Kakashi said. His other hand came into view, and he handed Iruka the scroll it contained. “You need to read this; it's instructions for what needs to be done to prepare yourself before being sealed.” It was tough to tell through the mask but it looked like Kakashi was grinning. “I have a feeling you're not going to like it very much.”

Iruka shot him a sidelong glance as he took the scroll, slipping out from between the counter and Kakashi and making his way to the sofa that stood under the window. He collapsed on it in an untidy sprawl, slouched so that the overstuffed back of the piece of furniture was holding his head up. As he unrolled the scroll he could hear the sounds of another person moving in his kitchen, preparing tea and speaking softly to the cat.

Then his attention was caught and held by what he was reading. The bastard was one hundred per cent right; he didn't like this very much at all. But he didn't have time to dwell on it before a large body flopped down on the sofa beside him, long legs extended and a sleepily content feline cradled in one arm.

“Why Haineko?” he asked.

“Wha. . . What?”

“Ash Cat. You have to admit it's an unusual name.” Kakashi stroked underneath the animal's chin. “I'd understand if she had grey fur, or something. That would make sense.”

Iruka finally managed to pull his brain out of the scroll he had been reading. “I found her in the I'm-pretty-sure-never-been-cleaned fireplace of an abandoned house when she was a kitten. She'd been rolling around in the ashes, so. . .” He smiled then. “I've never seen her like this with anyone else. You must have a real way with animals.”

Kakashi chuckled. “With eight unruly ninken to deal with I should.” Then he deposited Haineko's sleeping form on the sofa beside him. “Tea's ready, if you want it,” he said, raising his own cup in a sort of salute. When Iruka rose he went back to the subject of the ash cat. “So she's not a summons?” he asked. “I thought for sure. . .”

Iruka shook his head as he came back to the sofa. “Nope, not a summons. Just an abnormally intelligent cat.” He picked the discarded scroll up from where he had left it on the sofa cushion and resumed his seat, only now sitting sideways so he could study the man beside him. He set his teacup down on the windowsill above his head and waved the scroll. “Is this really normal procedure in this sort of situation?”

Kakashi snorted. “Unfortunately. Apparently excessive chakra build-up can be a real issue for someone sealed in stasis for more than two days, so this protocol was put in place for any occasion when the stasis period might last longer than that.” He laughed without mirth. “I've been told it's not pretty when someone's elemental affinity runs rampant, which is what happened to a handful of shinobi before this -” he tapped the scroll “– was figured out.”

“Right,” Iruka said under his breath. “So -” He unrolled the scroll to double check. “Five days before the sealing a special jutsu will be placed on my chakra system to slow down its ability to replenish itself. And for each of those five days I will be expected to all but exhaust myself in that sense. And between those two things by the time I'm actually placed under the stasis jutsu my chakra supply should be at no more than twenty per cent of it's normal reserves. Am I understanding this correctly?”

“Spot on. Top marks, sensei.”

“Smart ass,” Iruka grumbled. “So how would you suggest I go about exhausting my chakra supply for five days, starting tomorrow?” _Oh god, it really was going to start that soon!_

Kakashi made a sort of humming noise as he considered. “The quickest way is through repeated use of the most powerful elemental technique in your arsenal, like me using up my four chidori a day limit.”

Iruka shook his head. “I don't think that would be the quickest way for me,” he admitted with a slight blush. “I don't have an exceptional mastery of any of the really powerful elemental techniques.” He shrugged when Kakashi looked questioningly at him. “It's not easy for us ordinary mortals to excel like you geniuses, you know! Especially when dealing with two elements that cancel each other out.”

“Guess you're stuck with sparring and a bit of ninjutsu dueling, then.”

“Perfect. Just perfect.” Iruka banged the scroll lightly against his forehead before turning and sitting straight again, his head resting on the back of the sofa. “So at some point during the day tomorrow – In between teaching classes, mind! - I have to arrange someone to cover my classes at the Academy, get a replacement for my shifts at the mission assignment desk, and find myself a reliable sparring partner who won't beat the living daylights out of me before I can exhaust my chakra. Oh, and someone to take car of my cat!” He looked over at the other man with a grim smile. “Have I left anything out?”

“Getting Sandaime's approval for all of this.”

Iruka groaned and slid down in his seat until he all but slid right off of the sofa. His expression was so despairing that Kakashi was moved to take pity on him. “Neh, I was joking about that last part. I already did that for you.” He coughed and felt a familiar heat at the tips of his ears. “And I have a few ideas about a sparring partner. Well, one, at least.”

Iruka snapped back up in his seat. His hair was loose again; the tie had been pulled free at some point in his slouch down the sofa. “You do? Who?” he asked with a smile.

“Me.”

**************

Iruka lay in bed that night, watching the dance of light and shadow on the ceiling caused by the large tree just outside his window. It had been something of a surreal day, capped off with the entire after-dinner conversation with Kakashi. He was still determined to go through with the stasis jutsu and being sealed, but he honestly hadn't expected it would be so complicated. Or, apparently, grueling. And. . .

He groaned out loud and pressed his hands to his face, feeling the warmth of his flushed skin. _When the hell did this happen!_ he wanted to shout into the silence around him. But then a tiny voice inside his head chimed in. _Be honest, Iruka. It's been there for years. The only difference is now you can no longer ignore it._

He sat bolt upright, still with his hands covering his face. The damned voice was right. If he had to pinpoint a moment when it had started it had been that one mission. They had shaken hands when the Hokage first introduced them, and Iruka could well remember the warm burst of something like electricity that had licked up his arm, making the hair stand on end. At the time he had put it down to touching, however briefly, a shinobi with the power of the lightning element.

But it hadn't stopped with that. Because he was the most senior of the three chuunin on the team Kakashi had treated him as a sort of second-in-command, sharing his ideas and asking Iruka's opinion about the best way to accomplish their tasks. Two days had been spent having those fairly close conversations every time the team took a rest in their travels. And every time the team captain had been in close proximity to him Iruka had felt that same electric charge, whether the jounin touched him or not. By the end of the second day he had been ready to scream, and that was when the bickering started.

So he had kept his distance after that. It had proven to be fairly easy to do so, since as they drew closer to their destination they had split into pairs, Iruka deliberately choosing to stay with one of his fellow chuunin. He had justified the move to himself by thinking it was best to keep the two mission “commanders” separate, but in reality his reasons were far less professional.

Then came an ambush, a jumbled and confused fight, and blackness.

Iruka had woken up back in Konoha, safely ensconced in a hospital bed, with the worst headache he could possibly imagine squeezing his temples and making him slightly nauseous. And with the last person he would have expected to see at his bedside.

“ _Welcome back,” Kakashi said. “I was beginning to think. . .” His words trailed off and he got to his feet. “You just rest and heal. I'll take care of reporting to Sandaime-sama.”_

“ _Hatake-taichou -” But he was already gone._

Iruka never did learn what, exactly, Kakashi had told the Hokage about that mission. But he did know that the jounin-captain of the team had blamed himself for Iruka's injuries, a state of affairs that the younger man corrected as soon as he was able, insisting that it was his fault, and his alone.

“ _I'm too softhearted,” he said with a sheepish grin. “And I thought I really understood that part of my personality and could control it.” He looked up then, directly into Kakashi's visible eye. “My kindness brought all of you into danger, and for that I am profoundly sorry.”_

It would be nearly a year before he saw Kakashi again, and then it wasn't under the best of circumstances. Heartsick at his inability to get past his own emotional barriers and help Naruto he had ended up wandering the village, finding himself on the path to the main gate and slumping on one of the benches. The bench that just happened to have a particular jounin perched in the tree above it.

And Kakashi had pulled him out of his despair. Kakashi had made him realize that if there was anyone in the village that could help Naruto it was him. And it had been Kakashi that had saved the pair of them from Naruto's foolishness and Iruka's recklessness.

Iruka flopped back down to his pillow, crossing his arms behind his head, trying to silence the thoughts clamoring for attention in his brain. Being attracted to a man wasn't anything new for him (he had figured that out at approximately the age of twelve), but being attracted to _this_ man was bound to be trouble in all sorts of ways.

He felt the foot of the bed dip as Haineko jumped up and he waited patiently for her to approach him for their nightly ritual. She stepped lightly on his stomach and walked towards his head, stopping when she was close enough to butt her head against his chin. Then she slid off his chest and lay against his side, kneading the flesh of his arm when he lowered it to hold her close.

“You like him, don't you girl?” he asked as he scratched her gently behind her ears. A rumbling purr was the only response.

“Yeah, I'm afraid I do too.”


	3. Confession

“Please remove your shirt, Umino-sensei.”

Iruka took a step back from the dark haired woman with curiously blank eyes and clenched one fist in the material covering his torso. “I. . . I beg your pardon?”

A small smile played across her lips. “I need your shirt off, sensei. Please remove it.”

They were standing together in the large training room in the basement of the academy; Iruka, the young woman, and Kakashi. Actually, it was probably more accurate to say that Iruka and the woman were standing together. Kakashi was several yards away, half slouched against the wall with one of his pornographic books open and a smile visible in the way his cheeks rounded above his mask.

“Kakashi-san! A little help -” Iruka's voice rose nearly a full octave on the last word as Hyuuga Natsu's fingers closed on the hem of his shirt. “A little help here, please?!”

The book didn't move even one inch away from the face. “The seal has to be applied to bare skin, so stop carrying on like a violated virgin and take your damned shirt off.” The calm tone of those words would have been laughable in almost any other situation. And if Iruka had been in any sort of good humor.

Instead he simply shot a glare at the oblivious Kakashi, stepped away from Natsu and quickly tugged his shirt over his head and off. He was tempted to fling the garment across the room in some sort of defiant gesture but realized that he'd probably just look like a petulant child if he did. So he simply stood, making every effort to avoid betraying his nervousness by twisting the shirt in his hands.

But if he thought Kakashi was oblivious he was completely off the mark. He may have hidden it well behind the cover of his book but the sight of Iruka, shirtless, with an oddly nervous expression on his face, was. . . Intriguing was probably the best word. Kakashi was biting his lower lip behind his mask to prevent some sort of smart-mouthed sexual innuendo from escaping his mouth while at the same time resisting the urge to uncover his Sharingan and preserve his current view for the rest of his life. As it was he waited while Natsu moved her fingers swiftly through a series of signs before activating her Byakugan. Then he closed the book with a snap, tucked it inside his weapons pouch and approached the other two.

Iruka's fist tightened on the shirt he held with each step closer Kakashi came. It was tough to decide which made him feel more unsettled: Kakashi's studiously bland expression or the smile that crossed Natsu's features as she studied him. Intently.

Of course it's difficult to _not_ appear to be studying something, or someone, intently when using the Byakugan. . .

“What do you think, Natsu-san?” Kakashi asked.

Her smile broadened. “That's very nice,” she said, speaking so quietly that her companions barely heard her. “Lovely, in fact.”

Iruka felt the flush begin at the waist of his pants and rapidly spread to his hairline. He glanced at Kakashi, who appeared to be losing an epic struggle not to laugh. “One word, Kakashi, and so help me God -”

“Please, sensei,” Natsu's calm voice interrupted. “No anger. The seal can not be placed accurately if your chakra system becomes agitated.”

That brought Iruka up short. He may be protesting and arguing against this entire process, but there was no way he'd let a little discomfort and embarrassment stop him from helping his former students, especially Naruto. So he closed his eyes to block out everything (especially Kakashi and that damned enigmatic, masked face) and took several deep, calming breaths. _In through the nose and out through the mouth._ He could almost hear his mother's voice in his head from a long ago lesson on meditation and the importance of a calm spirit.

Kakashi barely had time to wonder what had caused the sweet, almost child-like smile on Iruka's face when he heard Natsu gasp beside him. “Oh. . . My,” was all she said. He was on the verge of asking her what had caused such surprise when he felt it too. A chakra spike that left him all but breathless. It was almost unbearably bright and warm, as if a miniature sun had erupted in the room. Beyond that it was difficult to describe; strong yet strangely delicate, gentle while at the same time powerful. And there was only one person it could have come from.

Who had now opened his eyes and was standing, warily watching the other two. “What?” Iruka asked, glancing back and forth between them.

Kakashi was still too caught up in what he had felt to make any sort of coherent answer, but Natsu had recovered her equilibrium just enough. “Nothing, sensei,” she said with a small shake of her head. “If you're ready I can apply the seal now.”

Iruka took a deep breath and nodded, closing his eyes again. Natsu flew through some hand signs, traced some symbols down the line of his sternum, then placed one hand on the left side of his chest. Her expression immediately changed as her focus drew tighter inside her. She held the hand against Iruka's skin for a long moment, not releasing until she heard his in-drawn breath like a hiss of pain. As soon as her hand lifted Kakashi could see the symbols for the fire and water elements blossom on the younger man's chest; fire in a golden orange color and water a soft blue. The rest of the seal grew outward in concentric circles, finally stopping when its diameter was approximately four inches. Then the entire thing quickly faded from view.

Once every trace of the seal was no longer visible Natsu stepped back from Iruka, her face pale and her Byakugan quickly deactivated. She looked as if she were on the verge of passing out, so both men stepped closer, ready to assist her. She shook her head. “I'm all right,” she said with a small laugh. “Although this usually doesn't take this much out of me.” She glanced questioningly at Kakashi.

“It's okay,” he said. “I can handle the rest from here,” he continued, tapping his hitai-ate with one finger where it covered his left eye. Natsu smiled gratefully and walked away, her legs still somewhat unsteady.

“Handle the rest of what?” Iruka asked, his voice sounding unnaturally loud after the stillness of the last few minutes. “I mean besides ensuring I'm completely exhausted before we leave here.”

“Normally a member of the Hyuuga clan would remain to monitor your chakra levels as we spar,” Kakashi explained as he raised his hitai-ate to reveal the Sharingan. “But we've been given a special dispensation.”

Iruka's jaw fell open in shock. “Wait. . . You mean. . . I. . .” He gave his head a violent shake. “WHAT?!”

Even through the mask Kakashi's grin was visible, and rather too wolfish for his companion's peace of mind. “Exactly. Not only do you get to enjoy matching wits and ninjutsu with me but you get to do it against the Sharingan.”

_Oh shit._

**************

“Is that really all you've got? If you don't go all out soon we're going to be here forever.”

Iruka glared from across the room, half-bent, hands on his knees, trying desperately to slow his breathing. But a part of him was also acknowledging that Kakashi was right. He was holding back. After so many years at the mission desk, seeing shinobi have to be all but carried in by their comrades after severe chakra depletion he was definitely wary of putting himself in that condition. Doing so by choice, no less!

From his position on the other side of the room Kakashi watched his sparring partner carefully. It wasn't difficult to guess what Iruka was thinking; he had one of the most ridiculously expressive faces Kakashi had ever seen. Every thought and emotion ended up there sooner or later; his current worries about chakra exhaustion were no exception. There really were no surprises with Iruka; what you saw was exactly what you got.

 _Although on second thought that really isn't true_ , Kakashi said to himself. The entire afternoon had been one surprise after another in regard to the school teacher. Surprises that he had been able to make careful note of, thanks to his Sharingan.

Surprise #1: Iruka was, in actuality, quite vain about his hair.

Kakashi had known it would be up to him to start the fight. For all that he possessed unsurpassed confidence in his teaching abilities a number of incidents in his past had left Iruka with a fair number of insecurities about his practical shinobi skills. Insecurities that he shouldn't have had, if his speed at dodging the kunai flung at his face was any indication.

But although he had dodged fast he hadn't dodged quite far enough, and the wickedly sharp blade (Kakashi was a stickler for maintaining a lethal edge) had caught the end of his ponytail. And in the blink of an eye there were cut strands of dark auburn hair floating to the floor as the owner of said hair looked on in shock.

That first kick had landed Kakashi flat on his back, stunned and more than a little winded.

Surprise #2: Iruka could have held his own in a taijutsu duel against Gai.

Once he had started to fight he _fought_.  Hard. With a dizzying combination of blows and maneuvers that might have stumped even Gai. And while he didn't have quite the same strength and power his speed more than made up for it. Kakashi, who had been determined to only use the Sharingan to monitor Iruka's chakra level, started to re-think that resolve. After all, it was better than getting his head bashed against a wall.

Surprise #3: Iruka had a chivalrous streak that wouldn't allow him to strike against a helpless foe.

Even in the first moments of their bout, when Kakashi had lain there trying to get his breath back, Iruka hadn't made any move to “finish him off”. If fact he hadn't even launched another attack until Kakashi had risen to his feet again. And while that was no doubt connected to the fact that they had to fight until Iruka's chakra was exhausted (which meant there was no point in ending things quickly) there was also an underlying feeling of politeness in the way the chuunin held back.

Kakashi, of course, felt no such compunction. His job was to wear the other man down. Period.

Surprise #4: Iruka had a tattoo that stretched all the way across his lower back.

Noticing _that_ had almost gotten Kakashi's head knocked off his shoulders, as Iruka had been lightning quick in taking advantage of the distraction. And if his grin was anything to go by the younger man knew exactly what had caught Kakashi's attention. And as the fight progressed the jounin had repeatedly tried to put himself in a position to get a closer look, with limited success. As best as he could make out the tattoo was of a dolphin leaping from the crest of a wave; imagery that would surprise no one who knew the meaning of Iruka's full name.

He had deliberately slammed the brakes on any thoughts of what he couldn't see of the tattoo, as it clearly extended below the waist of Iruka's pants.

The whine of a shuriken flying past his right ear jerked Kakashi back to the present and out of any further contemplation of the tattoo. “I should have let you put your shirt back on,” he muttered, half to himself.

“Too late for regrets now.”

Kakashi grinned and nodded an acknowledgment. “Be that as it may we're still no closer to ending this for the day,” he said, watching as Iruka straightened up from where he had been leaning, hands on his knees. “It's getting late and I'm hungry, damn it! So whatever you need to do now would be the time.”

“Fair enough,” Iruka said with a grin. Then his hands came together in a familiar, and unmistakable sign. “Kage bunshin no jutsu!” And then there were four Irukas.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, impressed. “You've been practicing.”

All four Irukas shrugged. “I got a few pointers,” they said. No one needed to ask from who.

Kakashi just nodded, pleased. This would be the perfect tool to accomplish their goal. All he had to do was make sure he didn't strike any of the clones hard enough to dispel them and. . .

He ducked out of the way as a fist came at him, then dove to one side to avoid what might have been a bone-splintering kick if it had landed. He had to quickly roll away from a knee aimed at his head, and he managed to clamber to his feet in time to block another kick. He leaped up and swung himself onto one of the room's rafters to escape the circle of Irukas that had been trying to capture him. The four identical faces all tilted up to cast identical glares his way.

“This isn't helpful, Kakashi-san. You're supposed to be fighting, not avoiding, me,” the one to Kakashi's right said.

Kakashi grinned. “Just need a moment to plan a strategy,” he said as he focused and felt the familiar light-headedness that meant the Sharingan was fully active. It was virtually useless if he wanted to determine which Iruka was the real one, but it gave him an excellent idea of just how much chakra was left before the other man hit rock bottom. And it wasn't much; Shadow Clones were notorious chakra suckers, and for someone with as little experience in the technique as Iruka that effect would be nearly doubled.

Iruka (one of him, anyway) was just about to speak up again when in a flash Kakashi hooked his knees on the rafter and flipped over backwards, releasing his legs' hold on the wood at just the right moment and landing with a barely perceptible _thump_ in the midst of the clones. One punch, one slash with a kunai, and one kick later and three of the Irukas were abruptly snuffed out of existence.

The fourth one stood for a moment, swaying slightly, a rather sloppy smile on his face. “How did you know which one was the real me?” he asked before collapsing at Kakashi's feet.

**************

“This is the most embarrassing moment of my life,” Iruka mumbled.

Kakashi chuckled, a low rumble that passed through his chest and into Iruka's, who was currently draped across the other man's back. “If this is the most embarrassed you've ever been I'd say you've lived a pretty sedate life.”

It was true, though, that their passage through the village was attracting a fair amount of attention. By this time most everyone had heard of their heated exchange of words (in front of the Hokage, no less) two days prior, so to see the pair of them looking not only friendly, but downright intimate, was something of a shock. Kakashi had no trouble ignoring the rude stares and surprised gasps; after all he'd spent more than three-quarters of his life doing things that earned him those sorts of reactions. But he felt a slight twinge of pity for Iruka, the quietly competent schoolteacher, who wasn't prepared for this sort of attention. “Ignore them,” he said in a low voice meant for Iruka's ears alone. “If you show that you're bothered by it you'll only cause more gossip.”

Iruka snorted. “More gossip than being carried home by the famous – or infamous – Hatake Kakashi?”

“Well, yeah. They could start saying I was carrying you because you were too drunk to walk on your own.”

“Unfortunately that's how I feel. But without the happy, fun side effects.”

Kakashi laughed outright at that, earning them a few more surprised glances. “Well, chakra exhaustion doesn't come with a hangover, either. Count yourself lucky.”

“I'll remember that.”

They arrived at Iruka's building then. Kakashi felt thankful that the apartment was only up one flight of stairs; the chuunin on his back was slender, but definitely heavier than he looked. He steadied his grip and set his foot on the first tread of the stairs, feeling Iruka's arms tighten slightly around his neck as he did. They made it up the stairs without incident, and Kakashi set Iruka back on his feet, making sure he was securely leaning against the wall before releasing his hold.

“Keys?”

“In my pocket,” Iruka replied. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “In. . . In my vest pocket!” Iruka spluttered, flustered at the look he had just received.

Kakashi found the keys and was about to insert them in the lock when something else occurred to him. “Seals and wards?” he asked.

Iruka shook his head. “A few; not many. I shut most of them down when I anticipated that I'd be too weak to undo them. Those that remain should recognize your chakra, though, since you passed through last night at my invitation.”

That proved to be the case, and the door opened with no trouble at all. But instead of hitching Iruka up on his back again Kakashi slid an arm around the other man's waist and supported him through the door and to the sofa, where Iruka promptly released his own grip on Kakashi and collapsed face down in an all but boneless heap.

Kakashi smiled and set Iruka's bag down by the table before pushing the other man's feet out of the way and settling beside him on the sofa. He gave him a sidelong glance. “Are you okay?”

Iruka nodded, although it was only the bobbing ponytail that gave the motion away. After a few minutes he seemed to recover enough to roll over and sit up, although he quickly slumped back against the cushions. “This is horrible,” he said. “I'm starving but right now the kitchen may as well be one hundred miles away.”

Kakashi stood up. “You should recover enough to walk in the next ten or fifteen minutes,” he said, crossing the room to the kitchen. “I'll make some tea, though, before I leave.”

Iruka sighed and closed his eyes, a peaceful smile on his face. “That would be wonderful.”

Once the tea was done Kakashi sat back down beside Iruka, smiling as the younger man took a long sip and half-sighed, half-moaned his pleasure. The sound sent a sharp prickle of desire down his spine, which he quickly squashed. He took a quick sip of his own.

“I thought you were leaving after making tea.”

Kakashi shook his head. “Not until you re-gain enough strength to take care of yourself,” he said, steadying the other man's hand that was holding the tea cup. “See what I mean?” he commented with a soft laugh. He placed a hand on Iruka's back as the younger man leaned forward to set the cup down on the table, then laughed as he slid off the edge of the sofa to sit on the floor, arms folded on the table and head down. “Can I ask you a question?” Kakashi asked the back of Iruka's head.

The ponytail bobbed again in an affirmative gesture.

“You called me Kakashi once today. Just that, with no honorific.”

Iruka lifted his head. “I did?” A blush started to climb his cheeks and he opened his mouth to apologize, stopping when Kakashi shook his head.

“No, don't apologize. It's fine.” He felt his ears start to burn. “In fact, it's fine if you want to keep on doing it.”

Iruka's head dropped back down to his folded arms. “Only if you drop the 'sensei' after my name,” he said, his voice muffled.

“Deal.” He watched as Iruka turned his head, startled to see a slight grimace on his face. Then Kakashi remembered something the chuunin had told him the day before and with a gentle hand reached out and pulled Iruka's hair tie free. The look of pain on the younger man's face immediately smoothed out.

“Thanks,” he said. “I didn't think I'd be able to manage even that tiny task.” He shook his head so that his hair fell loose and free around his face. “I'll even forgive you for the fact that it's nearly an inch shorter in spots than it was.” Then he pressed his hands down on the table and pushed himself up, rising to his feet. He swayed a little, not completely steady, but he didn't fall. Two steps to get around the table were also successful. “I think I'll be okay now.”

Kakashi stood as well. “Then I'll be on my way home,” he said, moving to the door with Iruka a step behind him. His hand was on the door knob when Iruka spoke, his voice hesitant but warm.

“You don't have to leave so soon, you know.”

Kakashi sighed and turned around, meeting the other man's gaze. “Yes, I do.” He reached out and ran the fingers of one hand through the long, dark hair. “I have to leave right now, otherwise I'll give in to the urge to kiss you until you're even more senseless than chakra depletion can cause.”

And then he disappeared in a gust of wind and swirl of leaves, leaving Iruka leaning against the wall, wide-eyed in shock and with the fingers of one hand pressed against his lips.


	4. Painful Honesty

“Katon: Haisekishou!”

Chakra-infused gunpowder spewed forth, but before Iruka could form the hand seals that would ignite it (something he was only willing to attempt because they were sparring outside that day) Kakashi countered with a water release technique that drenched the black powder, making anything else impossible.

And making Iruka want to howl in frustration.

It was the third day of the prescribed five and Iruka was surprised to find it still took every bit as long to exhaust his chakra as it had on the first day. Kakashi had assured him that the process was working; his overall reserve was just under fifty per cent of normal. So why did it feel like his chakra was unlimited with every new sparring match?

“It's just your physical energy making you feel that way,” Kakashi had explained when the question was raised. “It gives you a false impression of being fully powered. Your spiritual energy is draining away, as it's supposed to. And without the two together -”

“I get it, I get,” Iruka had grumpily conceded. “I give the lecture on physical and spiritual energy being the basis of chakra all the damned time. You don't need to parrot it back at me.”

“I'm impressed,” Kakashi said, his words pulling Iruka back to the training field. “A Sarutobi clan special. Not bad. Not bad at all.”

“Condescending ass,” Iruka replied, but without a trace of anger.

“Me? Not at all, I assure you! I am genuinely impressed.” Then his hands quickly flashed through a series of signs that Iruka recognized almost too late. “Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!” The fireball erupted between them and Iruka reacted instinctively.

“Suiton: Umi no nami o chouyaku!”

A hiss of steam was all the warning Kakashi had before being smacked by a wall of water. Salt water, to be exact. The surprise rendered him speechless for a moment. Then he pushed his sodden hair off his face and gave Iruka a penetrating look.

Iruka grinned. “No need to use the Sharingan,” he said, looking unmistakably smug. “I'll teach you that one for free.”

**************

“I've never met a water release shinobi that used salt water outside of Kirigakure,” Kakashi commented as they sat on the floor of his living room.

Although to be totally accurate Kakashi sat. Iruka lay on his side, eyes closed, apparently asleep. Despite his insistence that he felt full of energy every time they started to spar it was clear that the time it took him to recover even the slightest bit of strength was lengthening. Which was a good sign in terms of the task they were trying to accomplish, but a worrying one for Kakashi, who had stopped trying to denying his deepening feelings for the younger man.

He reached out and poked Iruka's ankle. “Come on,” he said, “You need to start moving so I can gauge your recovery time.”

“Donwanna.”

Kakashi smiled at the response. “Too bad.” He gently took hold of one of Iruka's feet and traced a line the length of it's arch with a finger. The other man tried to pull away but he held fast, repeating the motion.

Iruka rolled over onto his back and his eyes flickered open. “Tickles.”

“I know. A sure fire method for tormenting genin. Or waking up sleepy-headed chuunin.” He released Iruka's foot and shifted away slightly to give the younger man some room. “Can you sit up?” he asked.

Iruka nodded and pulled himself to a sitting position. He sat there for a moment, focused inward as if inventorying his limbs to make sure everything was there. But then his eyes got that glazed look, he swayed on the spot, and promptly fell over again, his head landing on Kakashi's knee.

 _Spoke too soon_ , Kakashi thought to himself. He glanced at the clock; Iruka had been in this state since they arrived, nearly an hour ago. But that was better than the near-unconsciousness when he had collapsed at the training ground. He had been completely unresponsive, even when Kakashi had tossed him over his shoulder to use a teleportation jutsu.

“Where are we?” The question came from the vicinity of his knee and Kakashi looked down to see Iruka lying on his back, his eyes open and and the intelligence back in them. He heaved a sigh of relief.

“My place. You were all but comatose this time, and this was closer, so. . .”

Iruka nodded. “It's nice. I like the color.” Then his eyes drifted closed again.

The color? Kakashi looked around the plain room to make sure nothing was different. Still the boring eggshell walls and bland, unassuming beige carpet. “Iruka.” The brown eyes opened again. “Exactly what color are you seeing?”

“Ummm, yellow. All warm and kind of. . . buttery.” His eyes widened and he picked his head up from Kakashi's knee, looking around. “Although. . . It's not just the walls. Everything's sort of yellow. Ish.” He laughed and pointed. “Even your hair.”

Now thoroughly worried Kakashi took hold of Iruka and teleported them both to the hospital.

**************

“He's going to be all right, so you can relax.”

Kakashi winced at the word relax. How in the name of anything was he supposed to do that? The same hot, burning ball of guilt had taken up residence in his stomach that had been there years ago when Iruka had been injured under his command. Only this time it was much, much worse, because he was directly responsible for the younger man's condition. He had suggested that Iruka become one of the greeters for the second stage of the exam. He had gone out of his way to gain the Hokage's approval for this. And he had nominated himself as the sparring partner who would spend five days rendering Iruka insensible, at least in terms of chakra.

“Stop doing that.”

Kakashi looked up and met the Hokage's eyes. “Sandaime-sama -”

The old man shook his head. “I know you, Kakashi,” he said with a sad smile. “And I'm going to tell you what I've told you countless times: you can't blame yourself for everything. Allow Iruka the dignity of making his own choice.”

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. “That's the problem,” he said, so quietly that his voice was almost lost in the hospital's bustle. “I don't feel like I gave him a choice. More like I pushed him into agreeing to this.”

Sarutobi looked down at the bowed head before him. He ignored the urge to offer some sort of emotional comfort; practical advice and counsel were needed more. “You didn't push anything,” he said, his voice so cold it jerked Kakashi's head back up, attention riveted on the Hokage. “You tried to discourage him. He made his decision, and if I know Iruka he'll stand by that, even after all of this.” Then he handed Kakashi a scroll. “I want you to read this.”

Kakashi took the scroll, eyebrows rising when he recognized it as a personal file. He glanced at the Hokage, questions written all over his face. Sarutobi smiled. “You may start to understand him a little better,” he said before he turned and walked away.

Kakashi was reading through the scroll for the third time, still trying to process what he had read, when Hyuuga Natsu approached. He surged to his feet, immediately concerned that Iruka's condition was more serious than he had been told. “Natsu-san. . .”

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, Hatake-san,” she said in her gentle voice. “The medic-nin simply wanted me to double-check that everything was okay.”

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. “Will you. . .” He glanced at the door. “Please come and speak to me when you're done.”

She nodded her assent and disappeared into Iruka's room leaving Kakashi to sit, and worry, some more. He could have read the scroll again, but he knew nothing would have changed, and he still wouldn't be able to make any sense of it. There were some things that he clearly needed to learn straight from the source.

“Hatake-san.” He looked up and slid down the bench to make room, watching as Natsu sat down with a sigh. “Everything is fine,” she said. “The seal is intact and his chakra level is about what I'd expect at this point in the process.”

Kakashi nodded, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Then he remembered the rest and held up the scroll so Natsu could see what it was. “Did you know?” he asked, and somehow wasn't surprised when she knew exactly what he was talking about.

Natsu shook her head. “No. I sensed it, though. So did you.”

Kakashi vividly remembered the chakra spike from the first day of all of this, and how powerful it was. Also how unusual it felt. “I never suspected it would cause problems, though.”

Natsu smiled. “It wouldn't have, normally. But there's something more going on here than just regular preparations for a stasis jutsu.”

“Something more? Like what?”

She stood. “I'll leave you to figure that out, Hatake-san. After all, you're the specialist at reading underneath the underneath.” And before he could muster any response to that she was gone.

He got to his feet, feeling suddenly tired from both the physical activity and stress of the day. But there were still a few more things he needed to do. With a gusty exhale he knocked sharply, twice, before sliding the door open and entering the room.

Iruka was seated on the bed, head bowed and loose hair hiding his face. He looked to be doing nothing more than contemplating his own bare feet, but Kakashi suspected that was an act. Something was preying on his mind. At the moment that was the biggest thing the two of them had in common. He coughed once and Iruka's head jerked up. When he saw who was there he smiled, if a little sadly.

“The doctor said there's no need to keep me overnight,” he said. “But he'd feel better if I wasn't alone. I don't think he'd consider my cat suitable as a caretaker, though, so if you don't have anything else to do. . .” His voice trailed off as a flush rose on his cheeks, his face open and every emotion easily read upon it.

Kakashi felt his breath all but stop as he stared into the younger man's eyes for a long moment. Suddenly Natsu's comments about something more, and underneath the underneath, made sense. He gave a brief nod “Not a problem,” he said, surprised that his voice sounded almost normal considering the trip-hammer in his chest that not long ago had been a normal heartbeat. He took a step closer, unsure, then straightened his shoulders and moved forward decisively to sit on the bed beside Iruka.

And that was when Iruka's soft brown eyes fell on the scroll in the other man's hands. His flush of embarrassment was almost instantly replaced by one of anger. His eyes hardened and his lips pinched together in a thin line. “Why?” The single word was ground out through gritted teeth.

“Sandaime-sama asked me to,” Kakashi replied, not at all put off by the anger radiating off of his companion. “He said I needed to understand you a little better.”

“And do you?”

“Understand better?” Kakashi asked with a soft laugh. “I don't think so. _Know_ a little better, maybe. But understand?” He shook his head. “Not even close.” He turned his head to glance at Iruka's stoic profile. “I'd very much like to, though. If you're willing to talk about it.”

All his anger seemed to drain away in an instant and Iruka slumped down again, his hair sliding forward to cover his face. He gave a barely perceptible nod before pushing on the bed with his hands and shakily rising to his feet. “Not here,” he said. “I need to get home and deal with one more-than-likely seriously pissed off cat.”

**************

“Look at that; she's not pissed off at all.”

Iruka grunted. “Then why is she draped all over your lap?

Kakashi smiled as one hand stroked the top of Haineko's head. “I know from personal experience that animals hate the hospital smell. You should see the eight hostile stares directed at me every time I get out of that place.” He shuddered dramatically. “Not pretty.”

That finished what a hot meal and a cup of tea had started. Iruka relaxed and slumped against the back of the sofa, a chuckle rising from his chest. He still felt ridiculously weak, but a good night's sleep would probably fix that. He stretched out a hand, wanting to feel Haineko's silky fur for himself; when his fingers brushed against Kakashi's he tried to pull away, but the other man wouldn't let him. When their fingers were firmly entwined the last barrier fell away.

“I get it from my mother,” Iruka whispered. Kakashi's thumb stroked the back of his hand. “That unusual chakra, and the power.”

“You were thinking of her that day, weren't you? When Natsu-san told you you needed to be calm if the seal was going to work.” When Iruka nodded Kakashi squeezed his hand. “I thought so; the smile on your face was as innocent and trusting as a child's.”

“She started teaching me meditation when I was barely three years old. She knew that a calm heart and spirit were the most important things in keeping control of my power.”

Kakashi took a quick drink of his tea before he asked the next question. “What is it, exactly? I can more-or-less guess based on what I read, but I'd like to hear it from you.”

Iruka sighed and very deliberately removed his hand from Kakashi's. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. “I suppose you could think of it as reverse empathy,” he said, his voice suddenly empty and inflection-less, his eyes unfocused. “Instead of me being affected by the emotions of people around me I can influence theirs. For good or ill; that's why my mother was always teaching me about calmness. You can imagine the level of general ugliness that would ensue if my emotions were allowed to run rampant.” His eyes snapped back to life then, lifting and meeting Kakashi's. “I've never used it consciously, though. I can't bring myself to do that to anyone, even an enemy.”

Kakashi nodded. “I can understand that,” he said calmly. “Even if the other person wasn't aware of what was happening it would still feel. . . Intrusive, I guess.” He leaned forward to retrieve his tea from the table, slowly lowering his mask to take a drink, glancing at Iruka out of the corner of his eye as he did. “You use it sub-consciously all the time, though. It's why you're such a good teacher; the kids respond to all of those positive emotions.” His fingers toyed with the mask for a moment before dropping away, leaving his face uncovered. “And it's why people instinctively relax in your presence. Why they trust you.”

Iruka was too mesmerized by the sight of Kakashi's uncovered face to reply for a long, long moment. It wasn't like he hadn't caught glimpses in the past. The last couple of days they had spent a fair amount of time together, so it was unavoidable. But each time, after a bite of food or sip of a drink, the jounin had settled the mask back in place. Not this time, though, and Iruka was left wondering if it was intended as some sort of unspoken message, especially in light of what Kakashi had just said. “Do you?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. “Trust me, that is.”

“I trust you,” was the quiet reply.

Three simple words, but their effect on Iruka was profound. He relaxed and uncurled himself from his clenched and defensive posture, allowing his feet to reach for the floor and his head to come to rest on Kakashi's shoulder. Their hands met again, fingers dancing around each other before holding tight. “My emotions are having an effect on this,” Iruka said after the silence had dragged on.

“They are, but now that we know that we can prevent it from happening again.”

“How? I'm not any less confused about what I'm feeling than I was four days ago, when -” His words ended abruptly, as if they had been bitten off.

“When. . .?” Kakashi allowed his voice to fade away, the barest hint of a question in his tone.

Iruka huffed with almost silent laughter. “When I wanted to be in Haineko's place and have you scratching _me_ behind _my_ ears,” he said, choosing to take the painfully honest approach. “And two days ago, when you said you wanted to kiss me senseless.”

Kakashi shifted his position, tilting his head until it rested against Iruka's, comfortably laid on the older man's shoulder. “I did want to kiss you senseless,” he said, fingers tightening on Iruka's. “I still do.”

Iruka lifted his head and found Kakashi's lips bare inches away from his. “What's stopping you?” he whispered.

Kakashi sighed. “You're weak from chakra depletion and emotionally vulnerable from everything else right now. I'd feel like I was taking advantage.”

“I appreciate the consideration, but why don't you allow me the dignity of my own choice?”

That made Kakashi laugh, the sound a low vibration in Iruka's ears as he pressed his flushed face against the jounin's neck. “Sandaime-sama said the same thing to me today about the stasis jutsu; that I needed to allow you the dignity of making your own choice.” He sank the fingers of one hand into Iruka's thick hair, gently lifting the other man's head so their eyes could meet. “I guess I can live with that if you can.”

Iruka nodded as he reached out with his free hand and cupped the back of Kakashi's head. His lips quirked in an almost sultry smile. “I can live with that as long as you act on it. Soon.”

Kakashi grinned and moved closer until their lips were little more than a hair's breadth apart. “Smart-mouthed schoolteacher,” he whispered, his breath on heated skin causing a shiver to chase down Iruka's spine.

“Condescending ass,” Iruka whispered back. Then all coherent thought fled as Kakashi slanted his head slightly and their lips met.

It was a gentle, almost tentative, pressure at first, but then there was a brief flare of that warm chakra that was so uniquely Iruka and Kakashi groaned, his tongue slipping out to stroke across Iruka's upper lip. The younger man opened his mouth in response and in the blink of an eye fire, heat, and unmistakable passion blazed up between them. Kakashi tugged his other hand free from Iruka's grip and framed the other man's face between his hands, holding Iruka in place as he proceeded to plunder that smart mouth with lips, tongue, and teeth. He could have stayed that way forever, enjoying the taste and feel of his companion, but when Iruka's hands slid across his chest and settled at the waist of his pants Kakashi broke the kiss, pressing their foreheads together.

“Bloody hell,” he breathed, doing his best to ignore the pained whimper that had come from Iruka when their lips parted. “I didn't plan on anything like this,” he said, marking a trail down the other man's neck with his tongue, feeling as much as hearing Iruka's moan in response.

“Neither did I,” Iruka replied, tilting his head back to provide unfettered access to the flesh of his throat. “But I'm not going to say no.”

**************

Long hours later, in the shadows that surrounded the bed, Kakashi's sleepy voice broke the stillness. “I knew there was more to that damned tattoo.”

Iruka's deep, throaty, and satiated chuckle was the only response.


	5. One Powerful Memory

“Have you told your team yet?” Iruka asked, taking a couple of steps back and trying to catch his breath. Kakashi disappeared from in front of him, unmistakable traces of the Body Flicker Technique stirring the air. Then an arm was around his chest, strong as an iron band, and the tip of a kunai tickled his throat.

“Neh, sensei, don't you think it's a little soon to bring the kids into this?”

Iruka felt a pleasurable shudder work its way through his body as Kakashi's breath stirred the fine wisps of hair around his ear. He bit his lower lip, letting the brief pain shake him loose of the other man's spell before he lifted a hand and pinched a pressure point in the wrist of his companion. The presence of the knife against his throat loosened just enough before he cocked his hips at an angle for leverage and flipped Kakashi across his shoulder to the ground, where he landed with an impressive thud. With no hesitation Iruka continued his own momentum, dropping down with one knee on the jounin's chest and the other trapping his right arm in place.

Kakashi cast one, pointed glance at the younger man's crotch just inches from his face before looking up with a smirk. Iruka blushed, and in that brief moment of distraction Kakashi kicked one knee into the chuunin's back and pushed against his chest with one hand, sending him rolling over backward and off. Iruka let the motion carry him through a backward tumble until he was back on his feet, crouched a few feet away from where Kakashi still lay. Still smirking.

“I thought we agreed. . .” Iruka began.

Kakashi picked his head up from the ground to stare directly at the the other man. “All's fair in love and war, sensei,” he replied before surging to his feet in one smooth, fluid motion. Iruka quickly straightened up as well so as not to be caught at any kind of disadvantage. But he maintained a defensive posture, waiting for the next assault that was sure to come.

“To answer your question, though, I told them this morning,” Kakashi said. “I didn't want to do it too early because I knew that would give Sakura more chances to hesitate and the boys more chances to browbeat her.”

“But you told them that taking the exam was entirely an individual choice, right?” Iruka asked, looking slightly concerned.

“Of course I did; that's policy.” No matter how much of a lie it was. “But that doesn't mean Naruto and Sasuke won't do everything they can think of to sway her decision.” He bent down to pick up the kunai that had fallen from his hand when Iruka flipped him over. “But back to the business at hand. . .” And he flung the knife with a quick, underhand motion.

And gaped in horror when it penetrated Iruka's chest, knocking the other man backwards.

But halfway through that fall there was a _poof_ and in Iruka's place was a thick, leafy tree branch. And Kakashi smiled. He stretched out his senses, alert for any sight, sound, or smell that would give the younger man's position away, but there was nothing. Not even a trace of Iruka's unique chakra signature. He was impressed, yet again. Four days of training and sparring together had pushed Iruka hard, bringing back abilities that usually lay dormant behind a school teacher's desk. “If you keep showing how good your skill set is they're going put you on the mission roster, sensei,” he called out, knowing that Iruka was within hearing distance.

A split second rustle in the leaves above his head was all the warning Kakashi had before a weight came down, crashing against his back and knocking him face down to the earth. Two knees sharply jabbed into his upper arms, exerting a surprising amount of pressure to hold him in place. And the tip of a kunai was pressed against the back of his neck. He felt, rather than saw, the man on his back bend his head toward his left ear, going for what was normally Kakashi's blind spot.

“Back to the business at hand,” Iruka whispered in his best seductive tone, pleased to see the flush that started to creep across the jounin's neck. “All's fair, et cetera, so is this love business or war business?” he asked.

Kakashi grunted. “Oh, this is definitely war,” he said as with a sudden burst of strength he threw Iruka off of his back and flipped the pair of them over, reversing their positions.

Only to have Iruka disappear in a puff of smoke when his knees hit the chuunin's back. Kakashi grinned. “Tricky, tricky, tricky,” he muttered to himself as he got to his feet. “I'm telling you you're going to end up -” He broke off as he saw movement in another nearby tree and got there just in time to catch Iruka as he fell.

“Idiot!” he breathed as he lowered the other man to the ground. “Using a Shadow Clone when you were already low on chakra. . . What were you thinking?”

Iruka clenched a hand in Kakashi's sleeve as his eyes opened. “I didn't think I was that close to exhaustion,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I've never gotten this worn out this fast.”

“It's your last day of all this,” Kakashi reminded him. “It's to be expected that you'd bottom out.” He tightened his arms around the younger man. “You're all right, otherwise? No seeing weird colors or anything like that?”

Iruka smiled and nodded weakly. “I'm all right.” He turned his head and buried his face against Kakashi's chest. “Just take me home, please.”

**************

It was barely light the next morning when Kakashi slipped out of the warm bed, carefully arranging the covers around Iruka's still sleeping form. This was going to be a hellishly busy day, but he couldn't bring himself to forgo his regular morning ritual. If that meant getting up earlier than usual he'd just have to lump it.

But the desire to chuck that ritual in favor of staying, and holding Iruka close as he slept, was growing stronger. Kakashi smiled to himself, marveling (as he always did) at how powerful their bond had become in just a few short days. He knew his feelings perfectly well; years (decades, really) spent balanced on an emotional knife's edge made Iruka's calming presence feel like a safe haven. But what the younger man saw in him remained a mystery.

Then he noticed that Iruka's eyes were open. “Good morning,” he softly said, reaching out with one hand to gently brush the dark hair away from the other man's face. “Did I wake you?”

Iruka shook his head, then glanced at the darkness outside the window. “Are you sure it's morning?”

Kakashi chuckled. “Unfortunately, yes. You don't have to get up, though. Classes are canceled today, so sleep in while you can.”

Iruka laughed and sat up. “I'm going to be placed under a stasis jutsu later today and then sealed in a scroll for possibly five days,” he said as he scrubbed his face with both hands. “I think that's enough 'sleep' for anyone.” He pushed both hands into his hair and gave the dark mass a vigorous shake. It was a gesture he repeated every morning, without fail, upon first waking up, and Kakashi always found it both breathtaking and endearing. “Besides,” he went on after a moment. “I have to get up to deal with -” The bed dipped under a weight. “And there she is!”

An insistent mewing noise from the foot of the bed attracted the attention of both men. Haineko looked from one to the other before taking a step closer and pressing one front paw on Kakashi's knee. He held out one hand and smiled when she rubbed against it. “I'll handle her,” he said, picking her up and dropping her on the floor. “You take it easy, at least for a little while.” And he stood and followed Haineko's waving tail toward the kitchen. The feline's demanding voice was clearly audible over the sound of food rattling into her dish, and then Kakashi chuckled. “I can't wait to introduce you to my ninken,” he said, the smile obvious in his voice.

Iruka felt his heart skip a beat before starting to race. Introducing Haineko to the ninken pack? And presumably Iruka as well? Was Kakashi envisioning a future beyond whatever had grown between them in the last few days? He felt a blush surge up his cheeks as he realized how much he wanted that. He had spent years (decades, really) keeping a tight rein on his emotions around other people, especially those he cared about. With Kakashi he felt freer, better able to be his true self. But what the older man saw in him remained a mystery.

Kakashi was staring into the cabinet, trying to decide if he wanted some tea or if the anticipated hellish day required the fortification of coffee when a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind. With no hesitation he dropped his hands to cover the pair that were clasped together just below his navel, enjoying, as he always did, the contrast between his fair skin and Iruka's olive complexion. Then he felt a soft, lingering, open mouth kiss between his shoulder blades and inhaled a shaky breath. “Iruka. . .”

Those lips moved across Kakashi's skin as Iruka shook his head. “Don't say anything, please,” he whispered. “I want one powerful memory to take with me when I go under.” He continued pressing kisses to the older man's back, occasionally pausing to inhale deeply through his nose, hoping to burn that unique scent into his brain.

Kakashi stood still, not speaking, as the kisses continued and spread to a larger area of his back, each one lingering a tiny bit longer than the last. But when one of Iruka's hands slipped out of their combined clasp and slid up the jounin's chest he sucked in a breath, waiting. And when the fingers of that hand brushed across one of his nipples he turned in the circle of Iruka's arms and claimed the other man's mouth in a passionate kiss.

How long that kiss lasted was anybody's guess, but eventually Iruka pushed his hands into Kakashi's unruly hair and tugged lightly, pulling the other man away from him. “Don't you dare forget me,” he muttered against the jounin's mouth before sliding his lips to the older man's ear. “Don't forget any of this.”

Kakashi shuddered as Iruka's tongue stroked the shell of his ear. “I could say the same to you.”

**************

“Would you please stop pacing and sit? You're wearing a hole in the floor and another one in my nerves.”

Kakashi immediately halted, looking at Iruka with worry in his one visible eye. “Sorry,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You're probably nervous enough as it is, and here I am making it worse.”

“I wasn't,” Iruka pointedly said. When Kakashi glanced at him he shrugged. “Nervous, I mean. I wasn't really nervous.” He glanced at his watch. “She's not really that late, right?”

Kakashi grunted. “Late enough.” he reached out a hand and ran it down the length of Iruka's arm, tangling their fingers together. “It's all right,” he said in his best reassuring tone. “You know what's going to happen and you prepared for all of it. You're going to be fine.”

“My apologies, Hatake-san, Umino-sensei!” Natsu declared as she rushed into the room, the door banging closed in her wake. “There was a problem with the seal on one of the other chuunins taking part in the greeting.” She sighed and pushed her blue-black hair away from her face. “If you're ready, Umino-sensei, we'll get started.”

Iruka nodded and pulled his shirt over his head and off, handing it to Kakashi. They exchanged a quick smile before Iruka turned his attention back to Natsu, who already had the Byakugan ready. She studied the chuunin for a long moment. “Hmm, good. Very good.” She grinned. “Well done; your chakra reserve is at eighteen per cent.” She stepped forward and laid one hand on Iruka's breastbone, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Your physical energy seems unusually low, but nothing too serious.”

Iruka felt a flush stain his cheeks as something like a strangled laugh came from where Kakashi was standing. His stated desire of earlier that morning, of wanting a powerful memory to carry with him into stasis, had resulted in the most vigorous and absolutely mind-blowing sex he had ever been privileged to experience. No wonder his physical energy seemed low compared to usual, even hours later. He felt the flush on his cheeks darken, and could only hope that Kakashi was picking up on the speak-and-you're-dead vibe that he was giving off.

Then his attention was drawn back to Natsu, who had slid her hand from the center of his chest to the left side, where she had placed the special seal five days before. He felt Kakashi step behind him and then the warmth of the other man's hands just below his shoulder blades. “This is probably going to hurt a little,” she said, looking somewhat sheepish. Then she pushed against his chest, hard.

Iruka's first thought was that it didn't seem to be hurting at all. But then a brilliant white light exploded inside his brain as a fire seared his chest, seeming to pierce his entire body from front to back. He heard his own voice crying out but felt oddly detached from the man in such obvious pain. Kakashi's hands on his back were the only thing keeping him focused.

Then as quickly as it had begun it was over. He felt himself falling backwards, only to come up against a warm, sturdy form. Strong arms wrapped around him from behind and lowered him to sit on the floor. He turned his head and blinked rapidly several times, trying to clear the blue spots from his vision. As soon as Kakashi's face came into focus he grimaced. “Natsu-san is a liar,” he said, his voice sounding unnaturally loud in his ears. “That hurt a lot.”

She laughed lightly and bent over to check on Iruka. “I have to lie,” she said as she laid a gentle hand on one of his cheeks. “If people knew the truth about how bad this is no chuunin would ever volunteer for this job.” Then she was looking over the top of his head. “He's fine; exactly as he should be before stasis.”

Iruka felt Kakashi sigh as the hard body behind his relaxed. “Thank you, Natsu-san. I can take care of the rest of it.” Then the Hyuuga was gone and Iruka felt himself being half-lifted, half-dragged, until his back was securely propped against the front of something. He looked around; it was a desk. His desk, to be specific, and in his classroom. At least he recognized that much.

Kakashi had moved away from him and was unrolling a scroll in the open space between the teacher and student desks. Iruka could see a large seal already on the scroll, the black ink stark against the creamy parchment. He must have made some sort of sound because Kakashi looked toward him, pulling his mask down. “I know it looks scary, but you're ready.” The jounin bit his thumb and pressed the bloody digit on the scroll, matching it to the four compass points of the seal. “That connects my chakra, and through it Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, to the seal.” He came closer and slid an arm under Iruka's elbow, lifting the younger man to his feet.

Iruka only managed to walk the few steps to where the scroll lay because of Kakashi's support; he quickly sank back to the floor when they arrived. “Now what?” he asked, then felt his eyes widen as Kakashi pulled a kunai out of his bag.

“Now we connect you to the seal.” Kakashi nicked the pad of Iruka's thumb with the knife and then gently squeezed it to get some blood flowing. He held the chuunin's hand and carefully superimposed Iruka's bloody thumbprint on his own. “Can you stand?” he asked.

Iruka nodded and pushed himself to his feet, managing to straighten his shaky knees through sheer will. He didn't need to ask what else was expected of him. He simply took two steps forward until both of his feet were centered in the open space of the seal. He turned around to face Kakashi and met with the older man's lips on his own. Unlike all of the kisses exchanged earlier that morning this one was soft, gentle, and so loving that he had to swallow a sob of joy. He was barely aware of the kiss ending until he felt both of Kakashi's hands framing his face.

“Take that with you,” the older man whispered against Iruka's mouth before releasing him and taking a step back. “I'll be here when you return.” His hands flashed through a series of signs and then Iruka knew no more.

**************

The days passed with agonizing slowness. Even without his genin team Kakashi could still have taken on quick missions, but his last words to Iruka had been a promise to be there when the younger man emerged from his sealing. So he stayed in the village, more often than not figuratively climbing the walls from a combination of boredom and worry.

At the end of the first day he took Haineko home with him, deciding to care for the feline himself in her owner's absence.

By the end of the second day he returned her, and himself, to Iruka's apartment, which had come to feel more like a home to him than his own place ever had. Her introduction to the ninken proved to be an enormous success.

The third day started out with an aimless wandering through the village simply for the sake of being outside and doing something. Anything. How he ended up at the Academy was rather a mystery, as was the fact that he helped Iruka's substitute teach about chakra control. He suspected bribery, or coercion, had been involved.

The fourth day was the worst. His worry for the three brats that had somehow wormed their way into his heart reached a fever pitch, one that could not be eased by talking to Iruka. He spent most of the day in the apartment with Haineko on his lap and his face occasionally buried in a pillow that gave off tantalizing hints of Iruka's scent.

At dawn on the fifth day he teleported himself to the tower in the Forest of Death to wait.

**************

Iruka was not aware of the passage of time. He wasn't aware of much of anything; the stasis jutsu was more about shutting down the mind than the body, after all. He drifted in a sea of nothingness, managing to cling to two things in his memory.

_Take that with you. I'll be here when you return._

When he felt a sharp tug in his stomach, as if a rope was passed through his navel, he gave in to it. He somehow knew the sensation was important.

Then he was suddenly standing on his own feet again, a blinding light shining in his face. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment and when he opened them three faces had come into focus. Three, precious, impossibly young faces. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. He grinned.

“Congratulations. You've all passed the second exam.”


	6. Terrible With Words

Kakashi stood between Asuma and Gai, slouched in his habitual, indolent posture, one hand shoved in his pocket. He was listening to the Hokage's speech about the importance of the final stage of the exam with only half an ear (if that). He had heard it all before on more than a few occasions. He was more interested in studying the teams that had made it through the Forest. Some came as no surprise – the group from Sunagakure, for example – but the presence of all the Konoha genin did. And just what was going on with his own team to cause that look of concern on Sakura's face?

He was puzzling over that when he felt someone's gaze on him. A familiar, comfortable gaze that made his face curve in a smile. He didn't even need to look that way to know who it was. It wasn't like he was ignorant of Iruka's presence, after all. For him the entire atmosphere of the large room had shifted the moment the chuunin entered with the group following Sandaime-sama. Now he stood at the side of Morino Ibiki, in front, and slightly to the right, of where Kakashi stood with the other jounin mentors.

Iruka moved his eyes back to the front as soon as he saw the smile cross Kakashi's face. He had been drawn to that mop of silver hair the moment he entered the room, and had wanted nothing more than to throw himself into the other man's arms. But the reality of the situation – including exam proctors, jounin mentors, twenty-one genin and the Hokage – kept him in his assigned place. His eyes were still free to roam, though, and he deliberately let his gaze linger until that smile showed him that Kakashi knew he was (more or less) staring. The Hokage's voice faded away into the background, and before he was even aware of time passing all the rules for the preliminary matches had been laid out, the screen in the wall revealed, and the names of the first pair displayed.

Iruka hung back slightly after the dismissal, exchanging nods with the other chuunin that had taken part as greeters as they all left. He knew that his continued presence was not very inconspicuous, but he wanted to at least say something to Kakashi before leaving. Luckily he didn't have very long to wait; he could sense the other man's chakra flowing outward and coming closer to him. He kept his back turned, but pictured Kakashi in his mind: slouching, hands in pockets as he casually strolled. When he heard a sigh beside him he turned, taking a moment to study the other man's profile and catch a hint of his scent.

“I wanted to thank you, Kakashi-san,” he said in a normal voice. “For all your help with the stasis jutsu.” Kakashi's eyebrow raised, but he clearly understood the reason for the formality. He turned so that the pair of them were standing face to face just as Iruka lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. “I took that last kiss with me.”

“You're very welcome, sensei,” Kakashi replied, sounding just as formal, but the slight narrowing of his visible eye gave the game away, to Iruka at least. The older man took the tiniest of steps closer and his voice dropped. “Go home. Get some rest. Hug your cat.” He reached out and barely brushed the back of Iruka's hand with his fingertips. “Wait for me.”

**************

Iruka wasted no time in following Kakashi's orders. He felt considerably better than he had on the last day before he was sealed, but the tiredness had been creeping up on him with each passing hour since he had been released from stasis. He was a the bottom of the stairs leading to his apartment when all of it hit him like a ton of bricks. On a normal day he would take the steps two at a time, but today he took hold of the handrail and practically dragged himself up. He was fumbling in one of his vest pockets for his keys when a wave of dizziness washed over him. He leaned against the door with one hand, waiting for the feeling to pass, and heard the sound of the locks disengaging. He grinned and shook his head. Kakashi had clearly set up special wards, which was fine with him. It took less thought that way, and at the moment that was a very good thing.

Once inside it didn't take him long to slip out of his sandals and flak jacket, although as usual he carefully hung the vest from one of the hooks on the back of the door. He stood still for a moment, trying to decide between collapsing on the sofa or walking the few extra steps to the bed. The sofa won out; in his current state of exhaustion proximity was everything. He pulled his hair tie loose and let himself fall into that cushy embrace, stretching his legs out with a sigh. He was massaging his scalp with one hand (the tension there told him just how much time had passed while he was in stasis) when he heard a solid form hit the floor with a _thump_.

He smiled as he let one hand slip off the edge of the sofa cushions and snapped his fingers. There was a loud meow, followed by the sound of padded feet across the floor. Then Haineko was butting her head on his hand, twisting, turning, and rubbing, her tail snaking up his arm.  Iruka laughed. “I missed you too.”

Haineko jumped up on the sofa, landing on Iruka's stomach, wringing a pained grunt out of the man. She sat there for a moment, regarding him with wide, amber eyes. He scratched behind one of her ears. “Looks like Kakashi took good care of you,” he commented, and could have sworn that the feline smiled at mention of that name. She walked up his chest and butted the top of her head on his chin. There was an explosive gust of air and a swirl of smoke. And when his vision cleared Iruka sat bolt upright on the sofa, ignoring Haineko's indignant protest at being unceremoniously dumped.

There was a dog – a pug, specifically - sitting on the table in front of the sofa. A pug wearing a hitai-ate on top of his head and a vest with a heno-heno-moheji across his back. “Yo,” the dog spoke, causing Iruka's jaw to drop. Only for a moment, though, because his brain was quick to catch on. He smiled.

“Did Kakashi leave you here to keep an eye on me?” he asked, his smile widening.

“That depends. Are you Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka pretended to think about that for a minute. “Well, since you appeared when Iruka's cat rubbed her head against _my_ chin I'd say it's highly likely that yes, I am Iruka.” He'd think about how to get back at Kakashi for planting some sort of jutsu on Haineko later. “And you are?”

“Pakkun.” The pug leaped from the table to the sofa, settling himself in between Haineko and Iruka. He yawned, showing an impressive array of teeth for such a small dog, then called out “Come on, fellas!”

There were seven more miniature explosions and suddenly the apartment was filled with smoke, making Iruka's eyes water. He lunged for the catch on the window, sliding it open and breathing in the fresh air. When the urge to cough wildly receded he turned back to the room to see another seven dogs scattered about, all looking at him expectantly. He stared back, somewhat stupidly. He was rather at a loss for words.

Pakkun wasn't. “Right, introductions,” he briskly said as he lifted a paw to point at each of the other dogs in turn, saying the names as he went. “Bull, Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Uhei, and Guruko. Fellas, this is the one the boss told us about: Iruka-sensei.” All of the dogs politely bowed their heads to him, which allowed Iruka to feel much less foolish when he did the same in return.

“You're supposed to be resting, Iruka-sensei,” Pakkun said. “Boss's orders.”

Iruka pulled his lower lip between his teeth to keep from smiling. “I would, but there are eight animals more than what I'm used to roaming around my apartment.” he glanced pointedly at Pakkun. “And taking up space on my sofa,” he concluded with a grin to soften the words.

Pakkun grunted, but Iruka thought he caught the canine equivalent of a smile on the pug's face. He jumped off the sofa, circled three times, and lay down underneath the table. As Iruka stretched back out Haineko curled herself against his stomach as the other dogs spread throughout the room. With all of those guards he felt completely relaxed, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

**************

Hours later all of the ninken were still there, but after something to eat and a long, hot shower Iruka had relocated himself to the bed, where he could more properly sleep.

Except he couldn't sleep. At all. Kakashi's whispered _Wait for me_ from earlier that day kept replaying itself in his head. Admittedly the other man hadn't specified how long the wait would be, but the time now stood at six hours, and still counting. And if he was honest with himself Iruka had to admit he was getting a little concerned.

“Pakkun?”

He heard a canine grunt and then felt an extra weight on the bed. “Sensei?”

Iruka sat up so he could meet the pug's eyes. “I know you said you were told to keep watch over me, but I'm kind of worried about your boss,” he said, feeling a blush start to stain his cheeks. “Could a couple of you guys go out to look for him, do you think?”

Pakkun quickly nodded. “Of course. He told us to keep an eye on you, but also to do what you asked of us.” He jumped down off the bed. “Bisuke! Uhei! Head out and look for the boss; we're starting to get a little worried here.”

Iruka heard the small explosions that seemed to indicate two of the ninken departing on a new mission, so he lay back on the pillow and closed his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered as the pug jumped back up on the bed.

And he promptly fell asleep.

It was fully dark outside, clouds obscuring the moon, when Iruka was jolted awake. He lay still for a moment, instinctively stifling his chakra, as he stretched his senses and tried to figure out what had pulled him out of his sleep. He heard Haineko growl deep in her throat and laid a hand on her back, surprised to find her fur raised and her entire body rigid.

And then he sensed it too; an overwhelming tide of anger and killing intent. But it was combined with a chakra signature that he now knew as well as his own. He quickly threw the blankets back and rose from the bed, stepping beyond the screen. He released the rein on his chakra to alert the other man that he was there. As soon as he did that murderous anger started to fade and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“I saved you some dinner, if you're hungry.”

Kakashi shook his head. “No, I'm fine.” Something like a shudder passed through his body. “Food is the last thing I want right now.” He looked up and finally met Iruka's gaze. “You may have been right, Iruka. About entering the rookies in this exam.” His smile was grim. “But it's too late now.”

Iruka looked into that stormy grey eye and was surprised at the anger, confusion, and self-loathing he saw there. He felt a frisson of fear chase down his spine “What. . . What happened today?”

In answer Kakashi stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the other man, pulling him close and all but crushing Iruka against him. Iruka clutched at Kakashi's arms in an effort to keep his balance before returning the embrace, if a trifle less enthusiastically. Then there was a rustle of cloth and Kakashi's lips on his. Soft, gentle, and loving.

“I'll tell you,” Kakashi whispered against Iruka's mouth as he pulled away slightly. “I'll tell you everything, I promise. Just. . .” He kissed the younger man again. “Just not tonight. Please?”

Iruka took Kakashi's face between his hands and nodded before slipping the jounin's hitai-ate off and pressing their foreheads together. “You said you didn't want dinner, so what do you want?” He asked, brushing his lips across Kakashi's cheek and enjoying the sigh he evoked.

Kakashi kissed Iruka's temple lightly, before his mouth started to drift across and down the other man's face. “I want to sleep.” Eyelid. “I want to hold you.” Nose. “I want to be held.” A quick brush to the corner of Iruka's mouth. “I just want to be.”

Iruka smiled a split second before their lips met again. He could understand Kakashi's need and desire. It wouldn't stop the rest of the world, but those things could wait. For a little while, at least.

**************

_. . . and once again tree leaves will bud anew._

_**One month later. . .** _

Kakashi paced the confines of his small apartment, still dressed in his more formal uniform, unable to settle to anything. It had taken a surprising amount of emotional strength to walk away from Iruka earlier that day, but funeral or no funeral he was still expected to work with his genin team for a few hours. And considering how close he had been to Sandaime-sama he thought Iruka might appreciate time alone to grieve. Not that Kakashi wasn't feeling the same grief, because he was. But something inside of him had fundamentally altered that day, and it was _that_ that was making him restless.

It had happened earlier, at the funeral. Watching Iruka provide comfort to the devastated Konohamaru had been the start of it. But when he saw the chuunin struggling to honestly answer Naruto's question about why some people choose to sacrifice themselves for others without resorting to trite cliches Kakashi's entire world had shifted. Precisely how was a question he still lacked an answer for. Until he turned in one of his passes across the room and his gaze fell on one particular picture. His jaw dropped, his eye widened, and he understood.

In less than a second he was in Iruka's apartment, with Haineko rubbing against his shins and meowing in greeting. He squatted beside her, rubbing the top of her head. “Rough day, huh sweetheart?” he whispered to her. “Where is he?” The question had barely left his lips when he heard a sniffling sound behind him and felt the depth and strength of another's sadness. He quickly turned and stood.

Iruka was sitting in the small foyer, back pressed against the wall and knees drawn tightly to his chest. He looked like he had been there since they had parted a few hours ago. His tear-stained cheeks were unusually pale and his eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot. Kakashi walked over to him and knelt at his side. He slowly raised a hand and rested it on Iruka's shoulder, who blinked several times and seemed to drift toward awareness. His eyes widened when he saw who was there.

“Ka. . . Kakashi?”

The other man nodded, keeping their eyes locked. “I'm right here,” he spoke quietly, moving his hand from Iruka's shoulder to lay it against his cheek. “I'm not going anywhere.” And just like that Kakashi was sitting on the floor, holding Iruka close as the other man sobbed against him. And whether it was because of Iruka's reverse empathy or his own grief he felt tears tracking down his face, dampening his mask.

When the worst of the emotional storm was over Kakashi struggled to his feet, still holding Iruka cradled against his chest. He walked the few steps and sank down on the sofa, the younger man on his lap, one hand cupping the back of his head, keeping Iruka's face nestled between his shoulder and his neck. “Are you all right?” he asked, reaching up to release the hair tie.

Iruka sighed as the tension on his scalp eased and he nodded, pulling back slightly so he could see Kakashi's face. “Why are you here?” he asked. “I. . . I thought you'd want to be alone, today.”

Kakashi chuckled softly. “I thought the same about you. Do you want me to leave?”

Iruka shook his head and pressed a kiss to Kakashi's cheek. “No, I don't. I'm. . . I'm glad you came.” He laid his head on the other man's shoulder. “Even if I don't understand why.”

Kakashi sighed. “I couldn't. . . I needed. . .” He lifted Iruka's head from his shoulder and looked directly at him. “I've lost a lot of people in my life,” he said, the unmistakable edge in his voice a sharp contrast to the hand gently stroking the chuunin's back. “Too many of them have disappeared before I ever really told them how I felt; Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, Kushina-san. . . And now this.” He cupped Iruka's chin in one hand and kissed him gently. “I refuse to let it happen again, but I'm terrible with words, you know. I -”

“I love you.”

The hand which had been stroking Iruka's back stilled instantly. “What?”

“I'm the opposite of terrible with words,” Iruka said with a gentle smile. “And I'm not afraid of those words. I love you, Hatake Kakashi.” His smile grew until it was nearly a grin. “I love the way you slouch when you want to put people off. I love your sly sense of humor. I love how much you care about people and how much you work at hiding it. I love your ninken. I even love this crazy, uncontrollable hair!” he exclaimed as he sank his hands into the silvery mass before sighing. “I honestly don't know when it happened, but I know it's real.” He flushed, color staining his cheeks and making the scar across his nose more prominent. “Say something, please.”

“I. . .” The hand on Iruka's back started to move again. “Anything I say would pale in comparison to your words, sensei,” Kakashi whispered, sliding his free hand from where it held Iruka's chin to bury it in the wealth of dark hair. He nuzzled his face against Iruka's neck for a moment before saying something so muffled that the other man couldn't quite catch it.

But it sounded suspiciously like _I love you, too_.


	7. Epilogue

“For God's sake hold still and stop fidgeting! It'll only take longer to get this right if you keep moving.”

Kakashi sighed and forced himself to remain still as Iruka's hands worked to adjust the lay of fabric between his mask and his shirt. Even through layers of fabric his touch burned, and Kakashi found himself twisting away slightly, a wry smile on his lips.

“Rokudaime-sama. . .”

Kakashi laughed. “You only call me that when you're about to kick my ass,” he said, pulling down his mask and bending his head to snatch a quick kiss from surprised lips. “Or grab hold of it and leave fingernail mmff -” The rest of that sentence ended under the onslaught of Iruka's palm over the older man's mouth. Kakashi was pleased to see the blush that stained Iruka's cheeks; even after years together he could still get a rise out of the other man.

“What is the matter with you?” Iruka hissed. “We're preparing for a wedding, and you're going for cheap innuendo? Aaaahhh!” He jerked his hand away from its contact with Kakashi's tongue and glared at the Hokage. The glare only lasted a moment, though, as laughter and a surge of desire quickly overtook it.

“ _Cheap_ innuendo?! I'll have you know that mmff -” This time the words were cut off in a much more pleasurable way as Iruka kissed him, lips parted and tongue insistent against Kakashi's. Arms snaked around his waist as Kakashi held Iruka's face between both of his hands, switching the balance between them and taking control of the kiss. A low moan rose from the tokubetsu jounin's throat, making Kakashi smile against his lips.

He still enjoyed rolling that title around in his head. Almost his first act as Hokage had been pushing the council to acknowledge Iruka's skills as both an educator and a proven master of barrier jutsu. More or less his second act as Hokage had been convincing Iruka to accept it, along with the long-vacant post of Academy Headmaster.

Iruka pushed lightly against Kakashi's chest, breaking the kiss. “We're going to be late,” he breathed against the other man's mouth.

Kakashi sighed, pressed one last, lingering kiss to Iruka's temple, then dropped his arms from around the other man. “Remind me why we're doing this again?”

“Because he asked us,” Iruka replied, smoothing the fabric over Kakashi's shoulders. “Asked us to not just be a part of the ceremony, but to stand with him as his family.” He blinked against the presence of tears. “It's a gesture of his love and respect for us, so the least we can do is accept.”

Kakashi looked at Iruka's glistening eyes and rubbed a thumb across his cheek. “I know. But I think I'd feel a little better about it if he had remembered that today also happens to be _our_ wedding anniversary.”

Iruka laughed and leaned closer, tilting his head back so that his lips were barely an inch away from the Hokage's. “It's all right,” he whispered, enjoying the flush that spread across his husband's fair skin. “We'll be excused shortly after the actual ceremony.”

Kakashi felt all the tension leave him and he kissed Iruka; a quick, hard joining of their lips. “How'd you manage to arrange that?”

“Easy. Naruto may have forgotten what today is, but Hinata remembered.”


End file.
